Blade
by EfinityFabala
Summary: sigh summaries never do the story justice. oh well. The Outskirts is home to loners who spit on Clan life. Blade, Stripes and their mother Ginger are in danger of falling under the claws of Lynx, possibly the most despised Outskirter that ever lived
1. Stripes

Cats of The Outskirts

Blade—black tom with white chest and paws  
Ginger—light ginger she-cat--mother of Blade (and Stripes from a later litter)  
Stripes—pale ginger tabby tom

Auburn Frost--bright red-and-orange streaked she-cat with white chest, paws, eartips and tailtip

Lynx—black she-cat  
Torrent—thick gray tom  
Flare—silver tom

................................................................

ThunderClan

Blazingstar—blue-gray tom with streaks  
Rollingthunder—black-and-gray tom with ginger flare on his chest  
Stingpelt—brown tom with tortoiseshell patches and yellow eyes

Clearstone—light gray-and-white she-cat  
Galefeather—pale ginger she-cat  
Gustfoot—pale brown tabby tom  
Frozenstorm—long-furred gray tom with glassy blind eyes  
Kestrelwing—dappled brown she-cat  
Smokefur—dark tom

Shadeflower—dark she-cat  
Skykit (Skyfeather)

Tanglepaw—brown tabby tom (Tanglepelt)  
Foxpaw—reddish-brown tom (Foxfur)  
Heronpaw—dark brown she-cat (Heronflight)  
Moonpaw—silver she-cat (Moonfrost)

Ivythunder—old off-white she-cat

* * *

The night was as silent as death. The starlight was cold and unfriendly, as always. The trees were dark and looming. Their branches hung over the black cat's head like the twisted bars of a cage. The grass was prickly on the cat's pads.

"Blade? What are you doing?" a kit said, padding up to his older brother. The kit had his mother's pale ginger fur. His face was round and innocent. Blade envied his innocence.

"Go back to Ginger, Stripes," Blade told his brother, staring straight at the chilling white light of the stars. Stripes hung his head.

"Can I come hunting with you tomorrow, Blade?" he asked hesitantly.

"Go back to Mother," Blade repeated.

Stripes opened his mouth to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat. Frustration and hurt mounted up inside of him, but he obeyed his older brother, as Ginger said he should.

Blade saw Stripes trudge away out of the corner of his eye. _Poor scrap_, Blade thought with a sigh. _He doesn't understand… With luck he'll never fully understand… what dangers lie in the forest._

"Blade…" hissed a chilling snakelike meow.

A lesser cat would have shrieked at the dreaded sound of that voice. A lesser cat would have jumped up and ran for their life.

Blade had more self-discipline than that. His heart leapt against his chest with fright, but he made no sound. He stiffened, every muscle tensing up. Fear made his blood heat up and course through him in a panicked frenzy, making him hyperventilate. _No, no!_ he thought, thinking of Ginger curled up in the hollow log, of helpless Stripes settling down beside her, a lump of soft tabby ginger fur. _Go away, please, please, go away! Not them… not now... Please, StarClan! If there is a StarClan, no!_


	2. Lynx

Blade's eyes were stinging. But he would not allow himself to blink until he knew for sure where she was…

Yellow eyes, bright as fire. Piercing and luminous. _Lynx_. Blade flinched at the power of the two narrow eyes. They were trained on him from the oak tree branch. The darkness of the leaf-shadows on her black pelt made her almost invisible, lost to shadows.

"Lynx, StarClan help me, I'll kill you one of these days," Blade spat. His voice cracked on the word "kill."

"Aww, how noble. How _brave_." Lynx slinked down the tree, more swiftly than any other Outskirts cat. She was as smooth and slippery as a snake. She padded through the grass without making a sound. Her black fur rippled with silver under the moonlight. The two black cats came face-to-face. Blade forced down his revulsion. He kept his expression blank.

Lynx breathed out and her warm breath hit Blade's face. He wrinkled his nose for a heartbeat. Lynx wound around him, her slender, sleek flank rubbing his fur the wrong way. She breathed in his ear, "How _warriorlike_."

Blade tensed up even more. Lynx hated the Clans even more than her father, Ode, had. She hated them with a passion, a fire that burned in her soul and shone through her powerful eyes.

Lynx continued, her body uncomfortably close to his own, her breath in his face, angry heat coming off of her in waves. Her voice was so slick and snakelike, so entrancingly soft… Blade knew all too well not to trust it, never to trust it.

"Do you believe in StarClan, Blade? Do you worship StarClan like a warrior does? Do you _pray_ to StarClan? Hm?"

Blade lifted his chin. He didn't know what be believed. His father had been Clanborn, of ThunderClan. But his mother, Ginger, was a true Outskirts cat. Not a mean one, not one like Lynx, who believed that every cat fought alone, and that no one could be relied upon. Ginger was a gentle soul, fierce when she needed to be, but motherly and noble. _That is how all of the Outskirts should be_, Blade thought bitterly. Lynx was waiting for his answer. He knew that she would wait all night, and that her anger would build with every breath.

"No," he finally meowed, proud of how strong his voice had come out. No cracks.

Lynx slipped away from him in a smooth succession of silent pawsteps. She turned around and sat down in the grass. Her waving black tail seemed to curl around her paws, but Blade suspected that it never truly stopped moving. It was like a separate being, with an eerie kind of voiceless personality.

"No," Lynx repeated in a whisper, her tail flicking and squirming. She made that simple word sound ridiculous, as though she knew that Blade was lying. _I'm not lying! I'm not a warrior, I'm a loner!_ Blade _longed_ to yowl at her. _I'm a cat of the Outskirts. I'm loyal to no one. I obey no one. Especially you._


	3. Why Are You Even Here?

"It saddens me to see you like this, Blade," Lynx said. Her voice had a bit more life in it than that awful hiss. Her tail flicked in a lively way. It was very distracting. Blade winced. He didn't want to know what she meant. He avoided watching her tail, and her yellow eyes. She point-blank refused to stop staring through his skin.

"I scent-marked those trees, Lynx. Why are you here?" Blade growled.

"Poor, poor Bladey. Reduced to caring for his traitorous mother and bratty little brother." Lynx spat fire with every word. Blade choked down a retort about his parents. He had met his father on several occasions, and respected him.

"Is there some rule about mating with Clan cats?" Blade mumbled.

"Oh, you poor confused young soul," Lynx hissed. "Your parentage really is none of your fault. You have the potential to be a pure Outskirter. You see, Blade," she whispered, "blood is getting less and less precious.

"What do you mean?"

"I have nothing against you, Blade. I rather like you, it's just your sick-in-the-head mother…" She licked a paw and drew it over her ears. Blade opened his mouth in soundless protest. Lynx ignored him. "But you should know that there _are _no rules in the Outskirts. Or did dear old Mummy not teach you proper Outskirts behavior? She taught you to be a tagalong, star-worshipping bit of Clan scum, didn't she?"

Blade winced, forcing himself to remember… _don't trust that voice! Find the meaning beneath the words. She's furious…_

"My mother is a noble cat—"

"Aha!" Lynx exclaimed, leaping to her paws. She bristled and spat out every word like a bit of crowfood. "Another Clan trait! _Loyalty_ to those who are good to you. That is the lifestyle of a _fool_!"

"Lynx," Blade sighed. "If you came here merely to throw accusations around, then I suggest you leave."

"Oh no, dear, I have a reason…" Lynx took a heavy breath and paced around him in tight circles. "You see, I have a proposition for you."

**well these chapters are short but that's because it's easier to read them that way :P keep reading if you please... and review! luv ya! :)**


	4. An Army

Ginger snuggled Stripes closer to her flank. The kit's little warm shape against her was but small comfort. She hoped that Blade was okay. He insisted upon keeping watch every night.

"At least until Stripes is old enough to hunt for himself…" he always said. "I'll be here to protect you."

Ginger was thinking about Rollingthunder. _If you could only see… how much Blade has grown since you last saw him! You would be so proud of your son…_

The queen closed her eyes, imagining herself drifting off into slumber… No chance of that, though. Ginger couldn't remember that last time she'd had a proper night's sleep. She worried about her kits, about how Blade strained himself to tend to her, about how small Stripes was for five moons…

Her eyes shot open when she heard Blade's voice. "No, never, you witch! Get away from here!" _What in the world? Who else was out there?!_ Panic shot through Ginger's core.

Ginger picked Stripes up by the scruff, which woke him up.

"Mom?"

"Hush, sweetheart. Go into the nook and be quiet," Ginger hissed as she set her kit down in a dark crevice of the hollow log. He would be safe there for a short time. "Be right back." Ginger climbed out through an opening in the rotting bark and dropped down onto the grass.

A feeling of foreboding crashed over Ginger's head like a wave. She fell into a low crouch, pinning her ears back. Her heart was pounding, but she didn't know why. Where was Blade?

* * *

Lynx frowned, her face like stone. Blade's eyes flashed, determined to remain defiant. _I'll let that one slide, my little hero_, Lynx growled in silence. _Try again._

"I am going to let you rethink that answer," Lynx said coolly. "Go on, think about it and get back to me."

Blade's eyes flashed. He crouched, ready to pounce. _No, little warrior. Now is not the time for a tussle. Put away your claws. Tonight we fight with cunning and words alone. _Lynx smirked to herself. _Two of my most well-developed strengths..._

**

* * *

**

The Proposition

"I am raising an army, Blade, a band of Outskirters and ex-kittypets and rouges alike. We all want the hunting grounds that are currently dominated by the Clans. Surely you can understand that? After the Clans were formed, those who were opposed to the idea were pushed away like bothersome flies, treated like crowfood, banned from the hunting grounds that we had lived on for seasons. Of course, the way of life of the Outskirts is far preferable to the fool's play that is the Clans. So, my army is going to take back the "Clan" hunting grounds and reshape the forest in our own image! Every strong cat will join me. Whoever does not will be our slaves when our era begins.

"I am not looking for domination of all, Blade. I'm no ambitious mouse-brain. I simply want to serve justice! So will you join me?"


	5. My Kit

Ginger's pelt prickled. Fear and foreboding made her mind fuzzy. Her breathing sounded far too loud.

She narrowed her eyes to search the growing darkness for her son's black pelt. She hoped that he would come in and sleep soon, he worked so hard. He barely allowed himself to get a blink of proper sleep nowadays, and constantly worried about her and Stripes.

"I can take care of myself, you furball," she had told him many times. "I was fine when it was just you and me. What makes you think that I can't care for Stripes in the same way?" She would always try to lick the top of his head as if he was a kit again, but she was smaller than him now and had to stretch to lap his ears. "Some cats care for three or four kits all on their own, you know."

"Not on their own," Blade had replied. "They have mates and siblings to help them. We're alone."

"We're not alone. That's the most negative Outskirts attitude to have. Even a loner has friends and kin. Don't you know that?"

An all too familiar voice cut through Ginger like a claw. "One more chance, little traitor-spawn. One more chance to redeem your traitorous mother. Try again."

_Lynx_.

"Get away from my son," Ginger muttered, creeping through the brush with her belly fur skimming the ground. She now had a purpose. She would protect her kit at any cost. _But he doesn't need you,_ a voice snarled in the back of her head. _He's all grown up. You need him more than he needs your protection. Give it up._

That voice was growing louder and louder with each day. It sliced Ginger deeper than any enemy. _My kit doesn't need me. I'm a burden to him._ The thoughts reoccured painfully and often. Ginger tried valiantly to push them away. _He loves you. He'd never abandon you_. But deep inside she knew that Blade was sacrificing for her, hunting for her and fighting her battles.

_Not anymore._

Ginger's eyes fixed on Lynx's black pelt, her awful smirk. She was eyeing Blade like a hunter eyes a mouse... hungrily.

Ginger spotted Blade, her heart promptly melted. He was so brave. He was bristling on her behalf.

"Get out!" Ginger snarled, gathering her leftover strength and leaping out of her hiding spot. Her target's smirk melted into a snarl as she prepared for the blow...

**No, Ginger, don't! Lynx can out-fight you. Tell me if this gave you a clear mental picture. That's my goal. My other goal is for you to feel sympathy for poor Ginger, a mother losing her kit to the world... flame if you must. --Effie**


	6. I Intend to See it Through

Lynx stretched her forepaws up, claws out. She grabbed the flying Ginger by the shoulders and flung her onto the hard ground. Ginger landed with an _oomf _on her side. She rolled to her paws and crouched a few tail-lengths away from Lynx. The black she-cat sat calmly in the grass.

"Hello, fox dung," she hissed. Her voice was far too pleasant to be trusted. "We were just talking about you."

Blade's limbs were frozen. If he attacked Lynx now, it would kill all chances of peace. And he still had her "proposition" to worry about.

But seeing Ginger crouched on the ground, battle-fire in her soft amber eyes, beads of blood appearing out of _Lynx's_ claw-wounds... Blade lost his senses.

As thunder rumbled overhead, Blade sprang at his enemy. His black coat shone silver under what was left of the cold starlight. Dark clouds rolled over the sky. Lynx hissed as Blade flew at her. The flames in her eyes burned into his pelt.

They collided. Lynx was ready for the second attack of the night, but Blade was caught up in a fury that he had never felt before. He _knew_ that he could best her this time.

The merciless she-cat flipped Blade onto the grass with a strength that was hidden within her slender form. She pounced on him with a calm smirk and dug in with all four sets of claws. Ginger growled and pounced again, her side hurting from her crash landing. She crashed into Lynx's flank and forced her to the ground. As Lynx fell, her claws ripped clumps of Blade's fur out. The tom yowled and rolled away from the others.

"Enough!" Blade snarled. Lynx and Ginger were rolling over and over in the grass, tearing at each other's fur. Lynx parted her fangs and clamped her jaws around Ginger's foreleg. Ginger shrieked and clawed Lynx's muzzle with her free paw.

Lynx released Ginger's foreleg, releasing a flow of blood, and tossed the she-cat onto the ground yet again. Ginger squirmed and hissed, but she was pinned.

"You are going to die, fox dung," Lynx growled. Blade's battle cry interrupted the end of her threat. He bowled into Lynx's side, sending fire-hot pain up her flank. Ginger was left a few tail-lengths away, gathering her strength again and lying on the blood-stained grass. She pressed her foreleg to the ground to stop the bloodflow and lapped at the wound.

Blade used his superior weight to press down on Lynx. His claws dug into her shoulder, hind legs, and held down her head. "My answer is no. I will never join a sick plan to destroy the Clans. Leave my sight and never return!" His voice rose on the last few words. He clamped his jaws together, fighting the urge to bite down on her throat. He released her.

Lynx smoothly leapt to her paws and backed away from mother and son. "Fine. I know when I've been bested. But I'm warning you to watch your tails, traitorous scum. This is a game that I play very well, and I intend to see it through." She turned tail and leapt away into the brush, vanishing within a heartbeat.

The storm broke overhead. Rain began to fall, pattering on the leaves and washing away blood.

"Mom?" meowed Stripes.


	7. Decisions

"You have to get out of here. Take Stripes and go find a Twoleg!" Blade muttered, pacing in the hollow log as rain clattered down around them. Ginger sat calmly at the edge of the log den and watched her son.

"No, I don't want Stripes growing up as a kittypet," Ginger said firmly.

"Lynx wants your head as a trophy!" Blade snarled. Ginger's eyes hardened and she shushed him harshly. Stripes's ears twitched in his sleep. Ginger padded over to the kit and curled herself around him.

"Quiet," she scolded Blade. "What about this? If you're so sure that I should leave the Outskirts, then I'll join Rollingthunder and become a warrior."

"What?!" Blade yowled. Stripes blinked his eyes open.

"It's okay, honey, go back to sleep," Ginger cooed, shooting a quick glare at Blade. Stripes was groggy, so he merely nodded and curled into a tight tabby ginger ball.

"You can't become a Clan cat," Blade said in a forced whisper. "That'd be suicide! You know what Lynx is planning..."

Ginger rolled her eyes. "And do you really think that she will succeed? Her family is one of... maybe three groups of cats who despise the Clans. Everyone else, like you and me, have no problem with them. So stop worrying. She's just a crazy bitter rouge with nothing better to do than try to raise an 'army'."

Blade shook his head. He didn't believe that Lynx would fail that easily.

A small reddish-brown cat burst into the log den. His fur was wet and stood on end. He looked terrified.

"Fox!" Blade exclaimed, recognising his friend. "What is it?" He padded briskly up to the small tom. Fox shook his head, panting.

"It's Lynx," he stuttered. "She's killed two former WindClan Outskirters. Cold-blooded murder. I saw the whole thing!"

Ginger's ears pricked. "What? What former WindClan Outskirters?"

Fox shook out his fur, spraying droplets everywhere. "Their names were Grasspelt and Badgerface. They abandoned WindClan seasons ago and became loners. Lynx tolerated them at first, but I guess her hatred of the Clans is just too powerful."

Blade turned and shot an alarmed look at Ginger. "What did I tell you? You have to get out of Lynx's territory!"

Ginger's eyes flashed. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Blade. I don't need your protection."

"Well, Stripes does! He either needs both of us here or just you elsewhere. But we can't stay here or we'll be next on Lynx's list!"

Ginger curled her tail around the sleeping form of her youngest kit, her last kit. "Fox, when did this happen?"

The red-brown tom sat down and began smoothing his fur. "Last night. I saw the whole thing from above, in that big maple tree near the Thunderpath. Lynx never knew I was there. She dragged the bodies out to the center of the road to make it look like a monster-kill. Terrible..."

Blade sat down, suddenly exhausted. He didn't know how much more Lynx he could take.

"Blade," Ginger murmured, padding forward and laying her tail on his shoulder. "I know that you're concerned for me, but I really think that going to the Clans is the best option. Your father would take care of us."

"I don't want him to _take care of me_," Blade snapped, pushing her tail away. "I don't need him to take care of me or you or anyone but his precious Clan." Ginger's eyes looked hurt, but she kept her head lifted defiantly.

"Fine. Tomorrow we leave the Outskirts and become... _kittypets_." Ginger looked like the thought disgusted her, but she gave in. Blade sighed heavily and turned to Fox.

"Thanks for letting us know," he said.

"No problem," the small tom replied. "I know how hard it must be for you, living under Lynx's eye. It must be terrible, since you're half-Clan."

Blade narrowed his eyes. "My blood may be tinted by warrior stink, but I will always be an Outskirter."

**coming up, things are going to get exciting!!!**


End file.
